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Al Fin
Category: Restaurants Latin American Latin American [Edit]
7398 Mission StDaly City, CA 94014
(650) 994-6142
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
38 reviews for Al Fin
Review Highlights
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"The platanos and pupusas are great." In 16 reviews -
"Our nicaraguan family loves this place." In 9 reviews -
"My grandma's gallo pinto, queso frito, y maduros kicks ass." In 2 reviews
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38 reviews in English
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Review from Dinora G.
Daly City, CA
5/16/2012
I was surprised to find delicious pupusas at a Nicaraguense restaurant, OMG, even my 3 year old loves them. Everything I've had has been delicious, they are slow so come prepared to wait, just about everything is cooked fresh. Don't forget to try their Cacao drink, its kinda like orchata but yummy. By the way, they have a parking lot BEHIND the restaurant.
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Review from bane v.
San Francisco, CA
3/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
so i went into this place with my mom and her husband plus my kids. the minute i walked in i felt uncomfortable and unwanted. my 2 kids and my wife and i sat down at a table and were not greeted by any of the staff for at least 5 minutes...(in an empty restaurant). i ordered the bajo (traditional nicaraguense dish, steamed beef and yucca with maduros cooked in a banana leaf) it was dry as hell and the yucca was mush...the maduros didnt even come with a taste of crema...my wife got the sope de res...which was ok but lacked flavor in the broth...which is the most important part of the soup...the broth...
after the unsatisfying dinner i ordered bunuelos for dessert...they were burnt and it ruined the whole dessert...
all in all i gave it 2 stars because the beer was cold and the price was not ridiculous for 4 people...will not return tho... -
Review from P J.
Daly City, CA
1/15/2012
One thing I've learned from venturing to various Nicaraguan restaurants in the Bay Area is to never have high expectations. I guess it's hard to beat actual Nicaraguan food, straight from the country itself or cooked by mom.
The price doesn't justify the portion size. I ordered take out and kinda expected tortillas to accompany my order. Nope. I didn't even get utensils.
The gallo pinto was not good at all. Taste was bland. I left more than half of my order it was that disappointing.
Cabbage salad was okay.
Queso frito was okay for the first few bites but then it just lost all taste and texture.
The only saving grace was the maduro frito, then again how can you screw up fried bananas, right?
Yeah, I don't think I'll return here. I'll just wait till mom cooks me some gallo pinto for 3/4th the cost a plate cost me here. -
Review from Jen C.
San Francisco, CA
5/15/2012
Close to home. A nice variety. Good plantains. I mean, goooooood plantains. I only wish they would give you more!
The staff are friendly, but definitely take their time. So, if you're looking for a quick sit meal, this may not be what you're looking for. Pretty quick take-out. -
Review from Y r.
Daly City, CA
7/1/2011
This place is overprice for the food and the service and parking sucks. I rather take my ass to the lowe mission and eat at a real nicoya joint instead of this wannabe upper scale restaraunt. Your acroos the street from a check cashing store homie.
How long does it take to make a pupusas, get real? -
Review from Beatrix F.
Daly City, CA
1/22/2011
This place is close to my home and a short convenient walk.
After my years of experience (every couple of months or so, I break down and use them again) I have to say, that the ONLY thing you can eat there are the pupusas!
I can't tell you how many times I and my friends ventured to pick a different meal and it was never that great!
Given that there was always so much time in-between visits, I wanted to give this place a chance.. you feel sorry for them because it is nearly always empty! Instead of revving up the service, there is a casual .. I don't care attitude.
Las night, finally the last straw..
Hungry on a Friday night and not wanting to drive, my friend and I decided to go for a quick bite.
We sat down and ordered our food. (mind you, usually I always get my food to go, because the restaurant is ridiculously warehouse style.
We are given the menus and the waitress wanted to take off, so I stopped her, to order drinks.
My friend opens the menu.. and OUT POPS a LIVE SPIDER..
After the initial surprise, I tell the waitress that returned with the beverages about this, and she just shrugs this off..
OK.. .. we choose our meal and are finally able to place our order.. I go with the one meal I know they seem to do well .. Pupusas!
My friend orders Enchiladas (plates)
It took over 30 minutes for our food to arrive!!! When I order this stuff to go, I am there for 10 minutes tops!
Two young guys sit next to us 10 minutes before we have our food.. order (pupusas) and guess what.. ? they got their food before ours arrived. I can only come to the conclusion that my black friend and me (being white) did not get the same preferencial treatment because we did not "belong"
After we eat our meal and my friend picks thru his enchiladas, which , surprise surprise tasted awful..
A guy starts to stand around our table.. I did not realize who he was. Then he reaches for my plate.. are you done? !!
He was in regular clothes and I had no idea who he was!
Then I tell him how long we had to wait for the food.. and point out our neighbors that arrived much later and got served before us. He just shrugs it off and says, I don't know what happen, I would have to check with the kitchen.. !! No sorry, no nothing..
.... Yes, you can give us the bill now..
This is the last time, I eat there, and forget about supporting the local restaurants, with this service and food quality, they don't deserve it.
What happened to good old fashion customer service..
They lost me as a customer.. I am really fed up now and this is the reason why I took the time to write the review..
Bottom line, if you are not Latina or Latino.. you might not want to bother sitting inside.
Inside Decor F
Cleanliness F
Cust Service F
Pupusas B-C
other food D-F -
Review from Pamela R.
9/27/2011
Our nicaraguan family loves this place. Honestly the pupusas are great, those that ate the soup were happy, the beans are vegetarian and they have a large menu. If you compare this to your favorite mexican place you will be disappointed, but for what it is.. nica and salavadorian food it is legit
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Review from Mark L.
1/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
Tried this spot out with my roommate this past weekend and am glad to know that I can get pupusas nearby for just $2! However, as much as I want to give this place a higher rating I'll hold off on it until I eat more off their menu.
The food that we ordered was pretty delicious and filling, but my only real complaint for not giving it 4 stars was how long we waited for food. We waited almost a good half hour before our food got to us. We may have come on an off day, so I would really wanna give this place a second chance. However, the day we did eat here it wasn't that busy at all, so it was a bit of a bummer to have to wait for food for so long.
Definitely gonna give this place a second try with all the great reviews I've been reading. I think next time I'm going for a burrito instead of a Machaca plate. -
Review from Carlo Dolce Vita A.
Santa Clara, CA
11/14/2011
We had chancho frito and lengua. It was delicious. The dishes included tostones, rice and beans, and cabbage salad. I've been here at least 6 times and the food quality has been consistently good. Service is attentive. Decor is nice.
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Review from Lauren S.
Stockton, CA
6/2/2009
I was wandering around the Mission texting a friend about how I was craving pupusas, and so we met up and he recommended this place- so off we went. And wow, it was pretty tasty. I had the pupusa plate (2 pupusas and rice and beans) It was pretty flavourful but I've also had spicier ones as well. It was a little bit pricier than other places I have been to, but that happens. I would come here again but I'm never in the area so...that's kind of a lost deal. The cook and owner is pretty well known and has lots of awards on the wall and it appears that they do catering as welll.
YOU MEAN I CAN BUY PUPUSAS IN BULK?
Oy vey. -
Review from Max F.
Daly City, CA
12/26/2007
The pupusas here kick ass. Next time I return, it'll be for these alone. The night we came they had either cheese, chicharron or a mix of both.
The entrees on the other hand were a bit of a downer. My pork was jerky-esque; tough and dry. Also, our waitress didn't warn me that I ordered an extra side when I was already going to get it with entree. :(
Come for the papusas, for sure! -
Review from Misha V.
5/8/2010 3 Check-ins Here
Do you LOVE finding new, exciting, and delicious restaurants just 3 blocks from work? I DO! And, Al Fin was just what I needed Thursday evening.
Agreeing with Big Bad Andy A, I've probably passed this restaurant almost everyday for the past 4 years. It was my iPhone yelp app that came to the rescue after Open House night at the elementary school. I was in the mood for sushi, but there was nothing rated well in the area. So, I searched "dinner" and found this place.
Now, if you know me, I am a sucker for pupusas. I went through a phase just a few months back where I ate a pupusa (Costco) every-single-day. No joke.
It was about 8pm when we showed up at this place, and it was empty. It closes at 8:30pm during the week, but 9:30pm on Friday and Saturday (kinda early if you ask me...but it's not a very happening area of town...so...yeah).
I was impressed by the menu--lots of options. Including several different kinds of pupusas for $2.00 or less.
I talked to the chef/owner, Al, and he described the tortilla soup to me. It did NOT disappoint. It was layers of deliciousness with a hearty, tasty broth. I had 3/4 of it left to take home! And my revuelta pupusa was awesome.
My co-worker order the bistec with onions, which was HUGE. She also ordered the pina drink...sorta like a strawberry horchata--also very good.
We left full, happy, and with plenty of left overs.
Good job Al!Listed in: Pupusas
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Review from Priscilla W.
San Francisco, CA
8/7/2008 1 photo
I came here out of random because I was hungry and needed puntos culturales for my AP Spanish class in high school. Mission may be the longest street located in SF and Daly City, but the parking sucks.
Al Fin has a lot of food consisting of different meats, so this isn't really the place for vegetarians. I ordered Chile Relleno - stuffed bell pepper with cheese, and served with rice, beans, and salad. The stuffed bell pepper was sooooo cheesy and overall, decent but not exceptional. The rice was very simple. It tastes better if you mixed some of the relleno's cheese with it. The salad had some sweet dressing I really liked.
The girl who took my order looked like she was in elementary, possibly middle, school. Maybe her parents are having her work there or something, but I think it would have been a little more professional if an adult actually took more order. Overall, the service was very quick. Prices range anywhere from $2 for a pupusa or $10 for carne asada. I'll let you decide on how reasonable it is or isn't. -
Review from Casey W.
San Francisco, CA
8/17/2007
We went here for a work birthday lunch and had a great meal. The redesign of the space is nice and the place is spotless. We ordered pupusas and they were really good. Next time we will try the Nicaraguan specialties.
Fifth star for giving us free tres leches birthday cake! -
Review from Darlene S.
Daly City, CA
2/25/2010
I like beans. My boyfriend calls me Darbean (rhymes with Darlene. That's why I love him). This place serves up some bomb-ass-beans. I mean num-num in my tum-tum beans. Not dry, heavy or salty. Just right.
The bean and cheese pupusa were alright. It was dry. But I'd order them again just cuz I like saying 'pupusa'. My favorite part was the carne asada. Its was flavorful and tender. Probably the best grilled beef I've had at a Latin joint.
OH, the service was cool, but I came out smelling like frying grease. -
Review from Mari E.
Daly City, CA
1/6/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Very good food!! Everything ordered was very fresh! Good mix of Salvadorian and Nicaraguense food. Will definitely be going back
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Review from Big Bad Andy A.
CA
12/22/2009
Al Fin is a small corner restaurant in Daly City right on Mission at San Pedro. Blink and you'll miss it. The service was friendly and adequate. They served an authentic Nicaraguan beer named Tona (which you surprisngly can't find at BevMo). The Churrasco steak with Chimichurri was delicious and well prepared. I am more accustomed to the Argentinian style chimichurri which is more minced parsley than anything. The Nicaraguan chimichurri is more oil based, which is fine and just as tasty. The only disappointment is on the menu it states that the entrees come with beans and rice, but fails to mention they are mixed together. I dont like frijoles.
My friend Dennis, who is Nicaraguan, his fiancee and my fiancee all thoroughly had a good dinner, and best of all, a great time eating and rapping about our upcoming weddings.
Cleanliness - A
Decor - C
Food - B
Service - B -
Review from Theo R.
San Francisco, CA
I've passed by this place for years and never had the guts to go in until yesterday. Al fin is a mix of Nicaraguan and Salvadorian food. Most reviews rave about the pupusas and they are not kidding. Please do yourself a favor and try them. After having the Pupusas at Al Fins I probably won't be ordering from El Zocalos anytime soon. I find the difference between them are El Zocalos Pupusas are much more greasy than at Al Fins. I tried the Camarones a la diabla and that red sauce made my mouth water. It was also served with some greens w/ honey mustard dressing, white rice with some mixed veggies, and french fries. Talk about a carb overload. To drink I ordered Milca a nicraguan red soda. Had a strawberry hint with lots of fizz nothing close to crush strawberry soda or fanta. For dessert we had Bunuelos( fried yucca,cheese, in a cinnamon sugar syrup glaze) .
Pros- friendly service( though I think the waitress was like put your camera away), clean restrooms, knowledge of dishes, cultural experience.
Cons- parking could be a problem, ( I parked in the walgreens parking lot). $15.00 minimum if you use your ATM/ Visa -
Review from James R.
San Francisco, CA
4/2/2009
This place is awesome, its like family. The food here is good comfort food with a twist. There is still room for improvement but i can only ask for so much.
Al(Owner/Chef) is good at what he does. Come and check it out. -
Review from Antone A.
Daly City, CA
9/21/2010
Went here one day with my littler brother.. I ordered their pupusas & a chicken taco. I must say they are delicious especially the chicken taco. Never had a chicken taco like this one! On the other hand, my little brother ordered the Carne Asada Burrito which was also the bomb! Really different from other latin restaurant. However, i also ordered their wonton appetizer which was burnt, never getting that again. Still, I like it here! I'll most likely go back. & oh the pickled cabbage & red sauce they serve for the pupusas is very good. Had to get another round of that.
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Review from arlene d.
South San Francisco, CA
2/6/2011
I was very disappointed with the Indio viejo WTF?? Do they even know what that is?? I'm half nicaraguense and it's a masa mixture with shredded beef with that minty flavor. What they served was rice, beef and salad. Ugghhhh...the carne asada was ok definitely disappointed.
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Review from Eugene G.
San Francisco, CA
5/9/2009
The 'Lengua en salsa roja' was tender and sweet with onions and peppers. Great lunch.. thanks.
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Review from Chris C.
Daly City, CA
2/8/2007
The two times i've been here was a bit disappointing. it's location is a mixed blessing...easy to see in a busy area, but almost always overlooked by the nearby businesses. they can use a bigger sign, as well. the menu swings from Nicaraguan to Salvadorean to...something else in between. food is a bit inconsistent, but the cook seems to be open to suggestions.
Listed in: West of the Misty Mountain
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Review from Arielle M.
Daly City, CA
1/10/2010
THIS PLACE IS THEEEE BEST!!...I have a friend who's mom makes some good ol papusas but I hadnt seen my friend in a while&asked her mom where i should go for so good papusas and she told me about this place Al Fin...she lied when she said "good'...their papusas are SUPERFANTASTICAL!!...lucky for me I live less than ten minutes away and go at least 2 times a week!! Restaurant cleanliness great...Sevice is greater, and the two chefs are the greatest!!...looking for some nice easy on the waist line, non greasy food??...Al Fin Restaurants the place to be!! :)
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Review from Katrina R.
San Francisco, CA
3/9/2009
The food here is sooo good and fresh. The restaurant is super clean. Went on a Thursday night, and it was empty. More people need to be coming to this joint! The platanos and pupusas are great. Good amount of non-meat options. If you feel like eating latin food that's a step up from the local taqueria, and a little less greasy, this is the spot!
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Review from Belinda R.
Park La Brea, CA
10/31/2007
Again, I'm half Nicaraguan. My family and I wanted to have a nice dinner while I was in town. I always look forward to having Nicaraguan food. The food was very mediocre and expensive. My sal picon was really salty. All of my family's food was very salty. The cabbage salad had too much vinegar. The gallo pinto was not cooked properly. My grandma's gallo pinto, queso frito, y maduros kicks ass. It was just okay here. I have been to other Nicaraguan restaurants in the bay area and they have very good food. The deserts were not that tasty. The flan was presented nicely but it was too small. The buenelos tasted funny. My uncle and mother did not like them. I was hoping to give this place a good review but they need improve some aspects here. I would not recommend this place to anyone especially a Nicoya.
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Review from Michael T.
San Francisco, CA
4/13/2008
Update: I'm docking a star from my review because the last time I went back I noticed that something had definitely changed about my favorite dish (the super burrito with shrimp, which I think is not even technically on the menu anymore). It was good, but not quite as wonderful as I remember it, and the price definitely made that drop in quality feel disappointing. Hmm...
A co-worker suggested we check this place out one evening when we were at work late and needing something to eat, so we trooped over and fell in love. We've been back a bunch of times since and have yet to be disappointed.
I've had their fried fish filet (with rice, beans, and salad) a couple times, which is excellent, and I had their chile relleno last time, which was decent but not exceptional. Today, though, was the real hit--I tried their super burrito with shrimp, and let's just say that if the place it took me wasn't heaven then it had to be the cloud next door. I'm also completely sold on their coyolito, a carrot-ginger juice drink that's mind-bogglingly tasty...sweet but with a little warmth and bite from the heavy dose of ginger. Mmmm...
Add to this their super-friendly and attentive service, and they've got a lock on my business. I can't address questions of authenticity, but with food this delicious, well...I just don't give a damn. I haven't had trouble with parking when I've driven here, though I tend to come during off-hours. You might have to contend with metered parking, which is a small bummer, but for my money it's absolutely worth it. Thanks, Al Fin... -
Review from Mara V.
Oakland, CA
5/27/2007
Great food. If licking the plate weren't so inappropriate in a public setting, I would have. The nacatamales are excellent. The fish plates are delicious, as well. The main chef, Al, will cook to your taste which is a nice touch. Very comfortable environment. Street parking can be a challenge, but on a Sunday afternoon it isn't bad at all.
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Review from rorenzo y.
San Francisco, CA
1/8/2010
Went there a couple of times before with a friend and the place looks really clean and the chef Al is a very nice guy. The place is cute and there is parking in the back. That can be a little tricky to find if it's your first time parking or you can always park in the front and feed the meter if your threre before 6 pm on weekdays and Saturday or park for free on Sunday. Oh yeah the platillo with fried yuca rocks. It's the only place that I have found so far that offers fried yuca and I am able to take a girl on a date to. The place is somewhat nice for a date. However nothing super fancy either. Dessert here rocks you have to try the award winning flab ymthat the chef makes.
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Review from Howard C.
San Francisco, CA
5/27/2009
Dropped in on a whim before a movie. Ordered way too much food as usual to try everything the waitress recommended. Relatively empty on a Thursday evening with street parking readily available. Fried plantains, skirt steak, fried cheese (yeah serious) red beans and rice a few pupusas and a tamale. Just for the two of us. Most of the dishes unfortunately where pretty average and not too exiting. However the star of the show were the pupusas. Small round pork and cheese filled discs of joy. Order about fifty of those and you'll have a good meal.
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Review from Gale H.
San Francisco, CA
1/16/2010
Had an enjoyable dinner here. Lots of food for the price, and fresh and tasty: Churrasco steak, yummy pupusas, fried plaintain and fried cheese. Only my "fried" pork was a little salty, so I was glad the rice with beans wasn't too salty and balanced it out. The side salads weren't just an afterthought: there were different types and very fresh and tasty. The food wasn't real hot/spicy but there was a hot sauce and a couple spicy salads given on the side to add to taste (good for someone like me who can't take too hot!) The dining room is casual, pleasant and clean. We'll be back!
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Review from Linda I.
Daly City, CA
8/21/2006
Al Fin actually specializes in Nicaraguan food, so it's not your typical Mexican food. My boyfriend and I ordered the Pork Pupusas, Chicken Enchiladas, and the Cheese Quesadilla. I expected more from the Pupusas, but it was still good. The Enchiladas are not your "Chevy's" style. The chicken tasted good but was a little on the salty side. Parking is a bitch here. There is a small area in the back which they call a parking lot (FYI the lot is shared between Reserved spaces and about 10 spaces shared between 4 businesses.) All in all, Al Fin is a great alternative to the "Fresh" mex from your local Chevy's
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Review from lib c.
Daly City, CA
2/10/2011
love this place:) i come here for their pupusas! they have really awesome customer service. parking's not that great but oh well.
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Review from Richard G.
Santa Clara, CA
1/25/2009
Great latin food. It was empty when I went here on a Sunday. I decided to spluge on a la carte items. I had a pupusa, yuca frita, queso frito with plantains. The food was great. The only bad part was the plantains were a little watery. My Milca soft drink was also interesting. Al Fin is a good place to try non-Mexican food.
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Review from Desiree E.
San Francisco, CA
12/9/2007
This is not Mexican, this isn't El Salvadorean, it's Nicaraguan- You know, that Central American Country next to Honduras? It may be another Latin American country but the flavors are distinct. This is coming from a Mexican. I managed to fall in love with a Nicaraguense and at this point, I'm not sure if it's because of the fried cheese he introduced me to or his charm and good looks: but it really doesn't matter at this point. Why? Well it's because we found Al Fin which is truly a blessing to Daly City and will surely sustain our relationship. For real, this food is awesome. Fried cheese is tricky because if you fry it too long, it can be rubbery, and it's served perfectly here. I have eaten here now 4 times, and each time has been amazing. The Churrasco is tender, flavorful and downright delicioso. Try the carne asada combo: tons of carne asada marinated perfectly, gallo pinto not overfried and not undercooked, platanos fried well, but not dripping with oil. Tonight sealed the deal. I ordered the chancho (fried pork) and it was all I could do to keep it from being eaten by my honey. That tempting.
I've only had 3 dishes there, but I'll definitely come back. Next on my "to try" list are the nacatamales. I'll let you know how they turn out! -
Review from Mrs N N.
South San Francisco, CA
12/29/2009
Had a craving for pupusas and this is the only place in the area that I know of that has pupusas, so . . . off we went. There were three of us. We had the quesadilla appetizer - good, real good if you put the pico de gallo and sour cream on top. I had two pupusas revueltas - a bit on the greasy side but what else could it be with pork and cheese stuffing right? #1 son had the camarones al mojo de hajo plate - garlic prawns. Rice was bland, beans ok, prawns very good! #3 son had pupusas plate - two pupusas with rice and beans. Had to take one of the pupusas home - too full to finish there. The orchata was GREAT! chocolaty and cinnamony - almost like chocolate milk - but better. We also had 6 pupusas to go. Total was $54.48 Service was a bit slow and we had to ask for the check but very friendly. Funny, they don't have chips and salsa -- really, we asked for some. Yes, will be coming back.
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Review from E M.
South San Francisco, CA
6/12/2010
My husband found this restaurant back in 2009. And first time we went, it wasn't great, but it was okay. We went two more times. I went with a friend in May 2010 and the waitress (Marcela) was very obnoxious, either she got up on the wrong side of bed or she doesn't work well with the public. My friend ordered a Fresco de Tamarindo when it arrived it had too much ice so she told the waitress to take some of the ice and to fill it up with more. So when the waitress came back the glass was full but instead of adding more juice she added water to it. Then I had ordered an extra plates to go, fried plantains, fried cheese and cabbage salad. However, I had forgotten to order an extra plate of the same thing. At the end when my plates came, I had three plates so I told her I had only ordered two. She gave me a dirty look and asked if I wanted the salad that goes with the plate, which is what I understood, i said no, "so she took the salad for my two orders". I told her that is not what I had said. She was just plain rude and I will not ever go to this restaurant. Besides this restaurant needs to make up its mind about what it wants to cook, is it Nicaraguan food or is it Central American food and Mexican. Not impressed. Not going back, especially if they have the same waitress!
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Review from Ms. H.
San Francisco, CA
4/8/2009
I quite like the food here. I agree that the attitude among the staff can be a bit brusque, but what the heck. The papusas are great and I thought the plantains (both the soft and crispy) were delicious. I would probably stay away from the fish, which didn't taste so fresh to me and was undercooked (unless they were going for tarare, but then it wasn't fresh enough.) Overall, I like the uniqueness of this place. It's too bad they don't get much traffic, since it is Daly City after all. I hope they stay open.
